Pfc. Bradley Manning admits making noose

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) - An Army private charged with leaking classified material to WikiLeaks says he tied a bedsheet into a noose while considering suicide during his pretrial confinement.

Pfc. Bradley Manning testified Friday on the fourth day of a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade near Baltimore. He is seeking dismissal of his case, claiming he was illegally punished by being held for nine months in restrictive conditions designed to prevent self-harm.

Manning testified under cross-examination that he made the noose in Kuwait before he was moved to a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va.

He arrived at Quantico classified as a suicide risk. Eight days later, he was upgraded to the less-restrictive "prevention of injury" status.

Manning maintains that neither designation was appropriate because he didn't feel like hurting himself after leaving Kuwait.

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